Page 7 - Farmers

Farmers' protest, Cyclone Fengal, windfall tax, Joe Biden pardons Hunter & more

Today, both houses of the Parliament agreed to hold discussions on the Indian Constitution. The debate will be held on December 13 and 14 in the Lok Sabha, and 16 and 17 in the Rajya Sabha.

Chouhan calls for strict action against sale of spurious seeds, fertilisers

He pointed out that "farmers often complain about receiving poor-quality inputs, resulting in significant losses"

Govt to soon provide long-term finance via PACS to empower farmers: Shah

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the government will soon provide long-term finance through Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to further empower the farming community. Speaking at the National Federation of State Co-operative Banks Ltd (NAFSCOB)'s Diamond Jubilee Celebration, Shah also directed the National Federation of State Co-operative Banks to prioritise making PACS more viable, transparent, and modern. The minister stressed the strengthening of the spirit of cooperation while expressing concern over the "dilution" of this spirit in state and district-level cooperative banks in many places. "We will provide long-term finance through PACS...We will start this soon. This will further empower farmers," Shah said, addressing NAFSCOB's Diamond Jubilee Celebration. Currently, PACS provide short-term finance to the farmers. Urging the NAFSCOB to play a bigger role in strengthening the cooperative banking sector, Shah said its work is "not just about holding

Trump picks Brooke Rollins for agri secy, praises her work for US farmers

Following her nomination, Rollins expressed her gratitude for the opportunity, stating that it will be the honour of her life to advocate for America's farmers and agricultural communities

Farmers from Shambhu border threaten to resume march towards Delhi on Dec 6

To intensify agitation, start fast unto death from Nov 26, demanding legal MSP

Indian Americans develop AI-based app for farmers in Caribbean nations

A group of Indian Americans has developed an app that provides AI-driven insight to farmers for making better farming decisions. Launched at the InvestSmart Caribbean Summit in Washington DC last week, the LetZFarm App is being put to use in the Caribbean Island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It has been developed by Massachusetts-based Abris Inc in collaboration with the Carbon Zero Institute of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a smart agricultural farmer's companion app that helps the farmer through AI-driven insights to make better farming decisions. It helps them from a food security perspective, and also it helps them to combat climate change. That means to adapt to the changing environmental conditions, Priya Samant, CEO and co-founder of Abris Inc, told PTI. Our goal is now to go to different Caribbean nations. We are already in talks with Guyana and other nations, she said. It's a very scalable app. Our roadmap is to make this a one-stop solution for the farmers. This is what we .

French farmers escalate protests against EU-Mercosur trade agreement

French farmers escalated protests on Monday against the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement, citing fears of unfair competition. Backed by their government, they argue the deal would threaten their livelihoods by allowing a surge of South American agricultural imports produced under less stringent environmental standards. In Beauvais in northern France, dozens of farmers with about 50 tractors disrupted traffic before walling up a government office tasked with enforcing environmental standards. The protesters dumped manure and tires in front of the building and moved to the local prefecture, where they set up a noisy camp with firecrackers. "The government slept on its agriculture, so we won't let them sleep," said Regis Desrumaux (54), head of the FDSEA Oise farmer's union. "Last year, we protested for the same reasons -- too much paperwork, overly strict norms, not enough help from the state. Now, with unfair competition from South American products boosted with hormones and ..

How Punjab farmers outwit Nasa satellites in stubble-burning crackdown

Punjab farmers have found a way to outwit Nasa satellite surveillance in the ongoing stubble-burning crisis by strategically timing their fires

Farmers hold two officials captive in Bathinda's mandi, clash with police

A group of farmers allegedly held a food inspector and a naib tehsildar (revenue official) captive and later clashed with police at a grain market in Bathinda district of Punjab on Monday evening, officials said. Three police personnel were injured in the incident. The farmers also damaged two police vehicles, they said. Some farmers were protesting over the issue of moisture content limit in paddy crop during its auction at the grain market in Bathinda's Raike Kalan village when they held the food inspector captive there. When the naib tehsildar went there to get the food inspector released, the protesting farmers also took him into their illegal custody, police said. They said a police team reached the grain market to get the two officials released but the protesting farmers refused to let them go. When the police personnel tried to get the officials released, the farmers clashed with them. Three police personnel were injured and two police vehicles were damaged in the clash, the

Cong asks PM why Gujarat's white onion farmers get preferential treatment

The Congress on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why Gujarat's white onion farmers were given preferential treatment over Maharashtra's onion farmers, and why has the BJP "diluted" Adivasis' forest rights in Maharashtra. Ahead of Prime Minister Modi's rallies in Dhule and Nashik, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed questions to him. "Why were Gujarat's white onion farmers given preferential treatment over Maharashtra's onion farmers," he asked. Since December 2023, onion farmers in Maharashtra have been reeling from the Modi government's restrictions on onion exports, he said. During the cultivation season, the state suffered from unsatisfactory rainfall and water crises, and most farmers were only able to produce 50 per cent of their usual crop, he pointed out. "When the onions were finally harvested, farmers were hit with the arbitrary export ban which led to devastatingly low sale prices. As a result, farmers racked up ...

Central govt amends rules for stubble burning in Delhi, surrounding areas

These changes reflect the amendment to the rules governing the imposition of environmental compensation for stubble burning under the Commission for Air Quality Management

Waqf row: JPC Chairman meets farmers in Karnataka, Congress lashes out

The farmers say that they have been here for almost 70 years, but despite that the Waqf board is claiming ownership of their land, Pal added

AAP made farmers spend 20-25 days in Mandi during festivals: Raja Warring

Warring emphasized that the government's actions are not only failing farmers but are effectively dismantling the very foundation of Punjab's agricultural economy

Biodiversity policies should include behavioural changes, say researchers

About 90 per cent of the current national biodiversity policies fail to specify behavioural changes expected of an individual or a group, such as farmers, consumers and fishers, a finding that researchers said could explain the lack of progress on meeting conservation targets. A total of 1306 policy actions proposed by ten National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) from all world regions were coded for target actors, target behaviour and responsible agents as well as the policy options. The team, including researchers from the University of Surrey, UK, found that only 11 per cent of national biodiversity policies explicitly addressed the critical role of behavioural changes expected of individuals to meaningfully deliver on biodiversity conservation. "Unfortunately, we have collectively developed a major blind spot in biodiversity policies. There's a heavy focus on grand actions such as resource management, but little attention is paid to the everyday behaviours -- .

Centre launches mobile app FCI GRS to address grievances of rice millers

Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday launched a mobile application of FCI Grievance Redressal System (FCI GRS) for rice millers. This is one of the measures taken by the government to enhance transparency, accountability and stakeholder satisfaction. State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal agency for the procurement and distribution of food grains. Joshi noted that rice millers are important stakeholders and integral part of the food security system and said the government is "committed to their welfare". He said the mobile app will help in addressing their grievances. This mobile application is available for download on the Google Play Store for Android users. Joshi said the government is also working for farmers' welfare and also ensuring that consumers get food products at reasonable rates. Aligned with the Digital India initiative, the mobile application aims to improve responsiveness and accountability by providing rice millers with a convenient plat

Salman Khan should apologise to Bishnoi community, says Rakesh Tikait

Amidst reports of a threat to Bollywood star Salman Khan's life from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said the actor should apologise to the Bishnoi community because if a dispute is resolved by apologising, then there is nothing wrong in it. Tikait, who was here to take part in a farmers' "Mahapanchayat", said this while replying to a reporter's question on jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. "If any dispute ends by apologising to the Bishnoi community, then what is wrong in it? If a mistake has been made knowingly or unknowingly, then what does Salman Khan lose in apologising?" the farmer leader asked. He also alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government, which had promised free electricity to farmers, has started installing meters in their fields. "We do not know how free electricity will come from the meters," he said while talking to reporters after the "Kisan Mahapanchayat" held at Mundera here. "If meters are to be installed,

At least 14 farmers arrested in Haryana's Kaithal for stubble burning

Fourteen farmers were arrested in Haryana's Kaithal district over the past few days for burning stubble in their fields, a police official said on Monday, as pollution levels in the region, including the national capital, soar. Stubble-burning in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab is often blamed for the rise in pollution levels in Delhi, especially during the post-harvest season of October and November. "During the past few days, fourteen farmers were arrested for burning stubble, but they were later released on bail as the offence is bailable," Kaithal's Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Birbhan said over the phone. Cases have been lodged under the provisions of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and other relevant provisions of the law for burning stubble, he said. FIRs were registered recently for stubble-burning in some other districts also, including Panipat and Yamunanagar. Haryana Chief Secretary T V S N Prasad on Sunday directed deputy commissioners t

Eggs and chana fetch farmers biggest chunk of money spent by users

The papers have been authored by eminent agriculture economists and researchers including former Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices chairman Ashok Gulati

Fixing minor issues faced by farmers can raise income by 20%: Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said addressing seemingly minor issues faced by farmers could increase their income by up to 20 per cent. Meeting members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Independent) as part of his 'direct dialogue' (seedha samvad) initiative launched on September 24, Chouhan discussed various challenges affecting the agricultural sector. Asserting that the service of farmers is the worship of God, Chouhan said: "....These problems may seem small, but solving them can increase farmers' income by 10 to 20 per cent." In the meeting, BKU representatives raised concerns about contaminated factory water and ways to replace burnt transformers in short time, an official statement said. Discussion covered reducing crop costs, ensuring fair prices, and preventing waterlogging. Besides, use of excessive pesticide, its impact on health, and access to government schemes like PM Fasal Bima Yojana were discussed. Quality seeds and pesticides were provid

Congress releases its manifesto for Haryana Assembly polls: Details

Congress released its second manifesto for the Haryana Assembly elections which outlines promises aimed at youth, women, farmers, and social welfare